Flash floods knock down part of Israel's 'apartheid wall'

Flash floods have knocked down part of Israel's controversial separation wall, as deadly heavy rainfall hits the region, news website Arab48 has reported.

Cascading rain water caused a section of the barrier to collapse on Thursday near the village of al-Hara at-Tahta on the outskirts of Jerusalem to the joy of locals.

"Some children begun playing football out of happiness. Many Palestinians on social media celebrated the event even though only part of the racist wall fell down," the Palestinian-Israeli website said.

Local sources said accumulated water rushed down from the top the hill overlooking the wall, causing it to give way.

The news site published a video, showing the extent of the damage. 

Palestinians have long said that the "Apartheid Wall" has forced racial and religious segregation and has created Arab ghettos that are cut off from basic services.

The wall encroaches deep into the Palestinian territories, separating communities and isolating them from their agricultural lands.

Israel began building a series of walls around the occupied West Bank in 2002, despite widespread international condemnation. Israel argues that the walls are necessary for its protection.

Two teenagers, a bedouin and a Palestinian girl, have died as floods hit Israel and the Palestinian territories on Wednesday, the first of three forecast days of heavy rain.

Nine Israeli youths have also died after having been swept away by floods in the south during a hiking trip near the Dead Sea.